Written Answers Thursday 7 December 2006

Scottish Executive

Bridges

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the progress it has made on the planning and implementation of a new Forth crossing.

Tavish Scott: Further to my response to Helen Eadie on 2 November 2006, Transport Scotland has now received the first two reports from the five expected. These will be published as soon as is practicable, following completion of the necessary review process.

Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the provisions of the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill will have on the use of swords in Scottish highland dancing classes and competitions.

Cathy Jamieson: The Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill will enable ministers to make exceptions to a ban on the sale of swords for legitimate religious, cultural and sporting purposes. The Policy Memorandum for the bill makes clear that Scottish Highland dancing is recognised as a part of our rich cultural heritage and will be one of the exceptions to the general ban on the sale of swords. Highland dancers will therefore be able to continue buying swords for use at their classes and competitions.

Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the provisions of the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill will have on the transportation and carrying of swords for use in Scottish highland dancing classes and competitions.

Cathy Jamieson: The provisions of the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill do not change the law on the carrying of swords in public.

  It is an offence under section 49 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 to have any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed in a public place without good reason or lawful authority. Any individual instance will be a matter for the police, and ultimately the courts, but transporting a highland dancing sword to and from classes or competitions would generally appear to be a "good reason".

Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill will be enacted and when the provisions in respect of swords will come into force.

Cathy Jamieson: The Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 3 October and is currently subject to Stage 1 consideration by the Justice 2 Committee. Subject to Parliament’s approval, the Executive anticipates that it would receive Royal Assent in April 2007 and could come into force from June 2007. The provisions on swords will not all come into force immediately as it will be necessary to prepare regulations to implement the restrictions on the general sale of swords and introduce licensing for the sale of swords and non-domestic knives. These regulations will be the subject of consultation with local authorities and others with an interest before a final decision is taken on the timing of their implementation. The regulations will also be subject to parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what rehabilitation programmes have been in place for individuals discharged from custody with (a) alcohol addiction and (b) alcohol or drug addiction in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive provides local authorities with funding to provide the offender rehabilitation programmes, which they consider necessary in their local areas. Information on the programmes in the form requested is not held centrally. The answer to question S2W-30055 on 7 December 2006, sets out the information available centrally.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided for the rehabilitation of offenders addicted to (a) alcohol and (b) drugs in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive has provided funding to local authorities for the rehabilitation of offenders with substance misuse problems in two main ways:

  The following figures are for section 27(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 which provides funding both for those offenders subject to community disposals and those discharged from custody, excluding the costs of specific court orders such as Drug Treatment and Testing Orders or drug courts. Information for years 1999-2000 and 200-01 is not available.

  In addition, £6.8 million per annum was provided to local authorities in financial years 2001-02 to 2003-04 specifically to support drug rehabilitation services, to which offenders in the community will have had access. Thereafter this funding was incorporated into Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE).

  

 
2001-02
(£)
2002-03
(£)
2003-04
(£)
2004-05
(£)
2005-06
(£)
2006-07
(£)


 Alcohol
 201,742
 238,694
 247,291
 253,291
 259,623
 259,623


 Drugs
 313,067
 469,482
 482,189
 614,597
 654,373
 654,373


 Total (alcohol and drug addiction)
 514,089
 708,176
 729,480
 867,888
 1,813,996
 1,813,996

Education

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, following its commitment in Ambitious, Excellent Schools to "publish a performance report on the National Priorities, by 2006, to assess the performance of each local authority since 2003", when this report will be published and what other methods it has in place to assess local authorities’ performance.

Hugh Henry: HM Inspectorate of Education’s recent publications Improving Scottish Education and Improving Scottish Education : Effectiveness of Education Authorities fulfil this Ambitious, Excellent Schools commitment. Copies of both reports are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 38934 and 41128 respectively). Local authority performance in respect of their education functions is subject to regular inspection by HM Inspectorate of Education. Inspection is supplemented by regular dialogue between officials and Directors of Education.

Employment

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been in employment in (a) Angus and (b) Aberdeenshire in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: Estimates of employment are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Table 1 shows estimates of the level of employment of people aged 16 and over in Angus and Aberdeenshire.

  The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to some sampling error. Taking account of sampling error there are no statistically significant differences in employment levels between any of the years within Angus or Aberdeenshire.

  Table1 – Employment levels of 16+ in Angus and Aberdeenshire, 1999-2006

  

 Year
 Angus
 Aberdeenshire


 1999
 51,000
 115,000


 2000
 56,000
 118,000


 2001
 55,000
 126,000


 2002
 54,000
 117,000


 2003
 46,000
 119,000


 2004
 50,000
 120,000


 2005
 49,000
 116,000


 2006
 48,000
 123,000



  Source: Labour Force Survey, spring quarter.

  Note: Estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Environment

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there were for offences related to noise pollution in town centres in the last year for which figures are available.

Elish Angiolini QC: Data held by the Executive does not indicate how many prosecutions relate specifically to noise pollution in town centres. Problems of noise can be dealt with in many ways, including prosecution, action under the Antisocial Behaviour Scotland Act 2004, action under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or through mediation and education. I recognise the tremendous distress noise causes to people and their communities, and that is why the Executive has put in place strong and effective measures.

Fisheries

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects that an announcement will be made anent an order for the construction of a fisheries protection vessel for the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency expects to be in a position to go out to tender for the construction of a fisheries protection vessel in the spring of 2007 and anticipates being able to decide on a preferred bidder later in the summer.

Flooding

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how it proposes to address the incidence and severity of inland flooding.

Rhona Brankin: Local authorities already have wide powers under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961 to mitigate the flooding of non-agricultural land. The Scottish Executive has increased substantially the resources available to support authorities’ plans for reducing flood risk.

Gambling

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to his comments on 26 June 2006 at Glasgow Chamber’s "Glasgow Talks…with the First Minister" business breakfast in relation to Glasgow’s super casino bid that the Executive would need to weigh up the benefits that the initiative would bring to the city against the potential risks it posed of increasing problem gambling, what subsequent deliberations the Executive has had on the issue.

Nicol Stephen: Ministers have considered the available evidence on the potential economic benefits and possible negative impacts of new casino developments.

  We have decided that we are not opposed in principle to new casino developments in Scotland, subject to there being significant demonstrable regeneration benefits and appropriate safeguards to mitigate the potential negative impacts. We also decided not to back particular bids because we believe that local councils are best placed to weigh up the pros and cons of new casino developments in their areas. I announced the Executive’s position on this issue on 12 September 2006.

Health

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will prepare guidance on the management of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, similar to the new chapter added to the Department of Health’s national framework for coronary heart disease (CHD), and, if not, what action it is taking to highlight cardiomyopathy.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scotland was represented on the group which drew up chapter 8 of the National Service Framework (NSF), dealing with arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The key elements of that chapter will be reflected in the refreshed CHD and Stroke Strategy which we are currently developing, to bring it fully into line with the thinking set out in Delivering for Health .

  A proposal has been developed for a National Managed Clinical Network which would bring together genetics and cardiology to support the treatment of patients with cardiomyopathy and other conditions. This covers many of the issues dealt with in chapter 8 of the NSF. The proposal will be considered by the National Services Advisory Group in due course.

  The review of genetics in relation to health care in Scotland, which we published in September of this year, notes that familial cardiovascular disease is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders, and that primary care is well placed to deal with genetic issues. The review contains a number of recommendations designed to improve training and enhance support for primary care in relation to the management of people with genetic conditions.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that NHS Lothian has no funding available at the Department of Sleep Medicine at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to provide a gum shield device for my constituent, Mr Neil Waugh, to prevent extreme snoring and that he is therefore unable to undertake his employment on train maintenance which is safety-critical, and what concerns the Executive has about this lack of funding.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is investing record resources in the NHS in Scotland. Health boards have received uplifts in resources with an average 7.25% increase in funding in 2006-07, well above the rate of inflation. It is for each NHS board to plan and deliver services within these resources to meet the needs of its resident population.

  At present there is no provision by NHS Lothian for the fitting and supply of mandibular repositioning splints. However, NHS Lothian and the Department of Sleep Medicine are currently exploring ways of providing this service.

Homelessness

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many families were in temporary accommodation in each year since 1990.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of households in temporary accommodation at 31 March each year is available on the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/PubHomeless

  Table 12 of the publication HSG 2001/5 1989-90 to 1999-2000 provides information on numbers of households in temporary accommodation by type of accommodation from March 1990 to March 2000. Table 23 of the publication HSG/2006/6 Operation of the Homeless Persons legislation in Scotland: national and local authority analyses 2005-06 provides the same information for March 1995 to March 2006.

  Prior to March 2001 statistics on numbers in temporary accommodation did not distinguish households with children within the total number of households in temporary accommodation. Table 23 in the second publication provides information on numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation in each year from March 2001.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes were sold to first-time buyers in each of the last 10 years and what percentage of all homes were sold in this way.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table gives estimates of numbers of first-time buyers in Scotland in each year and the number of sales to first-time buyers as a percentage of all mortgage completions. Sales with a mortgage account for around 80% of all sales of residential properties.

  

 
 Number of Sales to First-Time Buyers
 Sale to First-Time Buyers as % of All Mortgage Completions


 1996
 33,300
 50


 1997
 35,400
 50


 1998
 35,500
 53


 1999
 38,100
 50


 2000
 41,200
 49


 2001
 47,500
 41


 2002
 49,900
 34


 2003
 38,700
 27


 2004
 31,500
 22


 2005
 34,500
 32



  Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey of the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Housing

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the maximum level of £20,000 for home improvement grants will be increased.

Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The work to implement the Scheme of Assistance, based on Part 2 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, will include an assessment of whether such a limit is necessary, and if so what it should be. We expect to consult on the issue as part of a more general consultation in mid 2007.

Housing

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many abandonment orders have been served on tenants of local authority-owned properties in each local authority in each year since 1999.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many abandonment orders served on tenants of local authority-owned properties have been fully discharged in each local authority in each year since 1999.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information is not held centrally on action taken by landlords under sections 17 and 18 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to secure and take possession of a house let under a Scottish secure tenancy which appears to have been abandoned by the tenant.

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cautions were issued in each police force area for (a) violence against the person, (b) theft and handling stolen goods, (c) sexual offences, (d) criminal damage, (e) robbery and (f) fraud and forgery in each year since 1990.

Cathy Jamieson: Scotland does not have a formal caution procedure.

Livestock

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve and expand the Scottish veal market to reduce the transportation of live veal calves from Scotland to Europe.

Ross Finnie: The promotion and development of the Scottish veal market is primarily for the industry. However, marketing grants may be available from the Scottish Executive to help Scotland’s primary producers and processors develop outlets for their products.

National Health Service

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive why NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) has decided to wait until the Department of Health’s National Service Framework is published in May 2008 before undertaking further work on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); why NHS QIS is not committing to developing clinical standards for COPD, and how the independence of NHS QIS is ensured, in light of these developments.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has independent status and determines its own work programme, taking full account of NHS Scotland priorities.

  In relation to the development of COPD clinical standards, I understand NHS QIS has taken the view that it would not be sensible for it to embark on a further piece of work on COPD until Audit Scotland has completed work on its long term conditions project, which takes COPD as one of two marker conditions, and the Department of Health has published its COPD National Service Framework. As a general rule, NHS QIS believes that it is not a good use of public resources for it to duplicate work already under way elsewhere in the UK, unless there are strong reasons for it to do so.

Prison Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional costs were incurred as result of having women remand prisoners transported to courts during the closure of the women’s unit at Craiginches prison, Aberdeen.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not available. These escorts are carried out under the Reliance Prisoner Escort Contract and are not subject to a separate calculation.

Prison Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for provision for women prisoners in any new prison in the north east.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Provision for women prisoners is one of a range of factors that the SPS will have to consider should there be decision to build any new prison facilities in the north east of Scotland.

Public Sector Buildings

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has put in place to improve the sustainability of public sector buildings.

Ross Finnie: Scotland’s Sustainable Development strategy sets the agenda for change needed to raise sustainability standards. It emphasises the need for public bodies to play their part, not least with the management of the public estate.

  The Scottish Executive requires all public bodies – except NHS bodies and local government, which have different but complimentary approaches – to set targets and establish policies to improve their environmental performance, including that of their built estate. For existing public sector buildings, energy performance certificates will be required from 2007 and will help to identify possible improvements. Environmental management systems have been deployed in a number of public buildings and we are seeing examples of reduced electricity and water usage across the public estate. Guidance for procuring new public sector buildings addresses sustainability issues.

  Public sector buildings are also covered by a range of initiatives aimed at improving the environmental performance of the built environment more generally, including the building regulations, an updated version of which will come into force on 1 May 2007.

Road Safety

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase pedestrian safety and reduce road accidents and damage to property in villages with narrow pavements.

Tavish Scott: The Executive is addressing road safety through a combination of engineering, enforcement and education.

  This includes close liaison with Transport Scotland, who are responsible for trunk roads, and local authorities who are responsible for road safety in their areas. Detailed consideration of local circumstances is a matter for the relevant roads authority.

Rural Development

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that rural areas receive a fair allocation of resources.

Ross Finnie: Resources are generally allocated on the basis of need. Arrangements for the allocation of resources are subject, as appropriate, to periodic or regular discussion with those concerned, or to consultation.

Schools

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to address the funding shortfall resulting from increased energy costs in schools.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Executive is providing local government with record levels of funding and I have no plans to re-open the 2006-07 financial settlement. I will be announcing the provisional 2007-08 local government finance settlement figures to Parliament on 13 December 2006.

Schools

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the City of Edinburgh Council’s decision to allocate an extra £50,000 to schools in Edinburgh to address the funding shortfall resulting from increased energy costs in schools and whether it will confirm that the projected shortfall is £1.2 million.

Mr Tom McCabe: All local authority budgetary decisions rest with the local authority concerned. The Executive is providing record levels of funding and it is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate its total resources, including locally raised income, on the basis of local needs and priorities. The Executive is not in a position to confirm any projected budget shortfall within the City of Edinburgh Council.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29700 by Elish Angiolini QC on 22 November 2006, whether any experts or non-expert supervisors within the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) or any officers of Strathclyde Police liaised with any Lothian and Borders Police, Metropolitan Police or Royal Canadian Mounted Police expert or non-expert personnel or with an agent of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation or any other persons in relation to their examinations for fingerprints related to the Lockerbie investigation, whether at any time any SCRO experts made any preliminary fingerprint examinations of whatever kind or whether any Scottish police scenes of crime or identification bureau personnel examined any material of whatever kind related to the Lockerbie investigation and, if so, for what purpose and what evidence was found.

Elish Angiolini QC: Scottish Criminal Record Office fingerprint experts were not involved in the fingerprint examination work in the Lockerbie investigation. There is no record of any liaison between SCRO fingerprint experts or SCRO supervisors and the relevant personnel of Lothian and Borders Police, the Metropolitan Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation about the fingerprint evidence in the Lockerbie case, other than in relation to the delivery on one occasion to the Metropolitan Police by an SCRO manager of sealed packages containing finger and palmprint forms.

  Members of the police investigation team, including those seconded from Strathclyde Police, were in regular and routine contact with witnesses in the case throughout the early investigation and the later preparations for trial.

  Scenes of Crime Officers from different Scottish police forces took part in the early part of the police investigation. They were involved, in particular, in the recovery of evidence from the crime scene, the post mortem examination and identification of the victims and the photographic recording of the crime scene.

Scottish Executive Budget

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes, schemes or similar initiatives will be operated by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department to distribute public funds to third parties in 2007-08.

Ross Finnie: The information requested is given in pages number 11 to 28 of The Scottish Executive Draft Budget 2007-08 published by the Scottish Executive in 2006, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 40353).

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has paid to Dundas and Wilson in respect of legal and other advice received from it or agencies working on its behalf in each year since 1999.

Elish Angiolini QC: The Executive introduced a new accounting system before the start of the 2002-03 financial year. Since that date, payments to Dundas and Wilson have been as follows:

  

 Year
 Payment


 2002-03
£13,322


 2003-04
£102,856


 2004-05
£151,618


 2005-06
£298,583



  Figures for later years reflect work contracted out to Dundas and Wilson under the terms of a contract for the provision of legal services since June 2003.

Scottish Executive Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what process was undertaken and who was involved in selecting the new Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many candidates currently or previously employed by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) were considered for the position of Chief Executive of the SPS.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its reasons were for announcing the appointment of the next Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service during a parliamentary recess when the appointment is not due to commence until March 2007.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Nolan principles were applied in the appointment of the next Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an established Scottish Executive agency. In line with standard procedures, Senior Civil Service posts within the Executive, and its agencies, can be filled through external recruitment, internal promotion or managed move depending on the skills required and the availability of staff. On this occasion it was decided to fill the SPS Chief Executive post through a managed move and no external candidates were considered.

  In keeping with an appointment of this level, a decision on the succession arrangements was taken well in advance and an announcement was made as soon as ministers had been informed. The Nolan principles apply specifically to public appointments rather than Senior Civil Service appointments. All those involved in the managed move process were civil servants bound by the Civil Service Code.

Sport

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when an announcement will be made on funding for a regional sports centre for north east Scotland.

Patricia Ferguson: I have today welcomed sportscotland’s decision to award up to £7 million to support the development of a regional sports centre for north east Scotland.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what average time is taken by (a) women and (b) men to repay outstanding student loans.

Nicol Stephen: The time taken to repay a loan varies depending on the type of loan taken. For mortgage-style loans (those starting their course before 1998-99), borrowers who have finished paying off their loans take an average time to repay of (a) 5.21 years for women and (b) 5.44 years for men.

  As an example of repayment times on the newer income contingent loans (those starting their course in 1998-99 or later) for 2005 graduates commencing repayment in 2006, the forecast average length of time to repay a student loan for (a) women, is approximately 14.9 years and (b) men, is approximately 10.6 years.

  The times taken for each type of loan are not comparable. Those provided for mortgage-style loans are based on the time from entering repayment to paying off the loan. These loans are repaid over a fixed period of five or seven years.

  The forecasts for income-contingent loans estimate the average time taken from the 1 April after graduating or leaving higher education to fully repaying the loan.

Tourism

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions are placed on the activities of visitscotland.com.

Patricia Ferguson: The visitscotland.com website is run by eTourism Ltd, a commercial private limited company which was set up as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) in 2002 and which trades as visitscotland.com.

  eTourism Ltd was granted a 10-year concession to operate and develop the services provided by visitscotland.com. An extensive legal framework is in place to govern the activities of eTourism Ltd as part of this 10-year concession, including a Shareholder’s Agreement and a Concession Agreement, as well as an annually-renewed Services Catalogue.

Tourism

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the public purse was of establishing visitscotland.com and what the annual cost has been since its establishment.

Patricia Ferguson: Visitscotland.com was established in 2002 as a Public Private Partnership joint venture company with funding of £7.5 million. The only public sector investment was £1.875 million from VisitScotland, which gave VisitScotland a 25% stake in the company. This was invested by way of loan and equity on the condition that it would be repaid once visitscotland.com reached profitability. The visitscotland.com business plan always anticipated that it would run at a loss in the first years of its operation and it is expected to reach profitability in 2007.

  There have been no further equity or loan investment from the public sector since visitscotland.com was established in 2002, although payments have been made for services provided under contract. Following a recent change in the shareholding structure, VisitScotland’s share in visitscotland.com has now increased to 36%, without any extra cost to the public purse.

Transport

Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will address road traffic reduction targets in its national transport strategy.

Tavish Scott: Yes, we have retained the aspirational target to stabilise road traffic volumes at 2001 levels by 2021 and will continue to publish national traffic figures annually to ensure we understand and can address the bigger picture.

  However, the National Transport Strategy, published on 5 December, explains that we will also disentangle the problems of traffic growth by focusing on emissions, congestion, and walking and cycling as an alternative to the car.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Members' Allowances Scheme

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many MSPs currently have properties for which the mortgage interest is paid through the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance.

Nora Radcliffe: The number is 38. Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many of the mortgages paid for through the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance are interest-only mortgages.

Nora Radcliffe: The number is 25.

Members' Allowances Scheme

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it accepts that use of the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance to pay for interest-only mortgages for MSPs enables those MSPs to personally profit from future sale of the properties purchased on the basis of such mortgages.

Nora Radcliffe: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body meets or reimburses the interest payments on a mortgage up to the limit set by the Parliament for this purpose within the rules of the scheme approved by the Parliament. It does not concern itself with whether the member is likely to make a gain or a loss.

  Implicit in the question is the assumption that property prices in Edinburgh continue to rise. On that basis, irrespective of the type of mortgage, an owner would expect to make a profit when the property is sold. Although Capital Gains Tax is a reserved matter to the UK Parliament, currently disposal of a second home would be liable to tax at a rate of 40%.

Members' Allowances Scheme

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it monitors or calculates how much individual MSPs personally gain by using the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance to purchase properties on interest-only mortgages and then selling them privately.

Nora Radcliffe: As Mr Sheridan is aware, having received a written response from the Head of Allowances on 23 September 2005, the SPCB does not monitor any financial gain or loss which may be made by an individual MSP who has claimed the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance to meet the interest on the capital borrowed to purchase a property, nor does the SPCB calculate any such figures.

Members' Allowances Scheme

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the current review of allowances will result in changes to prevent any sitting MSP from personally profiting from the sale of property which was bought using the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance on an interest-only mortgage.

Nora Radcliffe: There is no review of allowances currently being undertaken. Officials have been asked to identify issues on allowances generally, not just the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance, which issues will inform a legacy paper which the current SPCB intends to leave for the incoming SPCB which will be elected in the next parliamentary session.

Members' Allowances Scheme

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what its position is on the principle, in relation to allowances generally and the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance specifically, that no MSP should personally profit from the use of allowances.

Nora Radcliffe: The functions of the current SPCB with regard to the Members’ Allowances Scheme have been conferred by resolution of the Parliament unanimously agreed in June 2001. Therefore the SPCB interprets, administers and enforces the current scheme by virtue of the will of Parliament as expressed in the provisions of the scheme. The Parliament has approved the payment of a variety of allowances. All payments under allowances schemes meet or reimburse actual expenditure. This includes meeting the interest on the capital borrowed to purchase a property within the levels calculated in accordance with the allowances scheme.

  As a general statement of principle, the SPCB would see that any allowances scheme should:

  (a) ensure that members have sufficient resources to effectively undertake their parliamentary functions, and

  (b) that members are not out of pocket in the performance of those functions.

  The SPCB also, as I am sure do MSPs generally, seeks value for money in the use of allowances. From the information already published on allowances it can be noted that, in general, the costs of leasing property is higher than the costs of meeting interest payments on the capital borrowed to purchase a property.